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A NEW BILL which limits the time a person can rent their property on platforms such as AirBnb to six weeks has been drafted by Labour Senator Kevin Humphreys.
It aims to follow in the footsteps of other major cities such as Berlin, Amsterdam and London, which have all clamped down on the use of Airbnb.
This week, the Oireachtas Housing Committee heard that short-term rental companies are having an “adverse effect” on the rental market in Dublin.
There was criticism of Airbnb, which allows people to rent rooms or entire homes for short periods of time, and which is seen as further reducing the supply of rental properties for people living in Dublin.
In figures presented by Dr Daithí Downey of Dublin City Council (DCC), it was shown that almost half (48%) of the Airbnb rentals within the Dublin city limits are available to be booked for more than 90 days of the year.
These 2,581 listings are identified as ‘high availability’. Of these, 1,375 are listed as entire homes or apartments. DCC says that it will now commission a study to report in October to make recommendations on the issue.
Six weeks per year
Humphreys’ Bill stipulates property owners will only be permitted to let their apartment or house for short-term use for a period of six weeks during the year.
It will also make it mandatory for all short-term letting companies to sign up to a register which will list all the properties they have on the books. Similar regulations are being discussed in Toronto, while some UK councils have said restrictions have been ineffective to date.
“The maintaining of a register is essential as it will prevent homeowners from jumping from one letting platform to another, which will allow people to supersede the regulations. It will also allow planning enforcers easy access to what properties are being let,” said Humphreys.
The Labour senator said this is the only way to ensure owners will not simply use multiple platforms to rent out their properties for longer than the allowable time.
Companies that don’t maintain a property register will be subject to a “Class A fine” not exceeding €50,000, states the Bill.
Humphreys was critical of the Housing Department for proposing short-term rental companies should merely sign-up to a “memorandum of understanding”, stating that this self-regulation has been introduced in other countries and failed.
Memorandum of understanding
The Housing Department told the committee this week it is in ongoing discussions with Airbnb about establishing such a memorandum.
“In the discussions with the department, Airbnb expressed its concern at the potential loss of supply to the rental sector and have shown willingness to work with the department to develop a collaborative plan,” the Department of Housing’s Earnán O’Cleirigh told the committee.
“Discussions in this context are ongoing and if successful are intended to form the basis for putting similar arrangements in place with other online platforms. The department’s joint commitment with Airbnb is to co-develop protocols and processes to facilitate home sharing while preventing unwelcome and unauthorised rentals being advertised on the Airbnb platform,” he added.
Humphreys, who has been campaigning for the industry to be regulated, told TheJournal.ie that he has been “chasing [Minister] Simon Coveney for over a year to regulate and legislate”.
The issue with regulating the sector is due to short-term lets not being defined under the law. Humphrey’s new Bill does include such a definition, he said.
Legislation needed
Seven months ago, An Bord Pleanála upheld a ruling that a property owner in Temple Bar required planning permission to continue renting the property out for short-term lets. The Housing Department sent out a circular to all local authorities urging them to enforce the regulations.
However, it was confirmed in the meeting that nobody has been prosecuted under the same laws used to make the ruling against the Temple Bar property owner.
The Bord Pleanala decision was to be welcomed, said Humphreys, but added that legislation should have been introduced to underscore the court’s decision.
“The government hasn’t moved on it.” he said.
When other countries, such as Berlin, introduced similar laws almost 40% of housing stock returned to the market, claimed the senator.
“We could get over 2,000 units back in use in a relatively short space of time,” he said.
He said the reason why the issue has not been tackled to date is because the short-term rental market and the likes of Airbnb have been filling a gap due to the shortage of hotel rooms around the country.
However, he said it was time to make a choice between the tourism sector taking a hit (which Humphreys admits this Bill could do) or to get families into apartments and houses.
With the number of properties to rent at an all time low, he said: “I think it is far better to make sure that families have a place to live.”
Coveney failed to deal with this during his time as Housing Minister and I am now calling on Eoghan Murphy to find a way to act quickly.
The Labour senator said he is open to his Bill being taken on as a Government Bill, stating that he “is not precious about who pushes the Bill through the Dáil”.
From London to Berlin, they all had to take steps to control the short-term let market. We have to ensure that if it’s zoned as residential, it stays as residential.
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The “charity begins at home” brigade are out in force. Charity doesn’t begin at home, it begins with whoever is the worst off.
Well said Neal Ireland. These people are so much worse off than those needing help here in Ireland. In the grand scheme of things €1.9 million isn’t huge money here but will make a huge difference in places like Sudan.
The original meaning of “Charity begins at home” has unfortunately been lost…
Spending the money in Ireland. Stop taking medical cards from the needy, reduce the closure of the Rape Crisis Centres, fund the necessary community organisations and get the homeless off the Street. There you go well spent and went a long way to providing the necessary. It’s good to be seen given Foreign Aid while our little country perishes at the hands of idiot Governments.
Do you honestly think that if we didn’t send this money to Sudan that even one penny of it would go towards any of the things you listed? How anybody can begrudge this vital support is beyond me.
What about spending the money on our homeless people instead of giving it to other countries
What about spending money on teaching punctuation to sinn féinners ?
A psychologist friend of mine suggested that Patrick has a small manhood, hence his behaviour. The Popeye sailor man would also suggest his attraction to sailors and his fear to come out of the closet.
That’s correct. I read an article before that forum trolls either have tiny johnsons or can’t get them up for very long. The frustration leads them to lash out online in anger at the world. Great to study however.
While we’re being pedantic about punctuation, there’s no space between a word and a question mark. Practice what you preach.
Debbie, there should not, there was not but there is. Why? I do not know.
corrupt government will prob take 3.9 million of that
Mathematics and mé féiners do not seem to mix.
Apologies Patrick, I meant 1.9 million.
Its not direct government aid so hopefully the government of South Sudan won’t be able to get their hands on it because NGO’s such as the red cross do lifesaving work in these places. For those that say charity starts at home it doesn’t, charity is for those who need it most. It shouldn’t just be Ireland looking after the Irish it should be everyone helping the less fortunate/needy. Take for example the article during the week about the Irish funded heart surgery team sent to the Ukraine providing vital lifesaving operations for children. That article was well received without anyone suggesting the money should be used at home so what’s the difference here? The aid here is needed more urgently also. (I’m aware that the surgical team were funded through a charitable organization but one which, no doubt, receives a grant from the government)
We should all give we will never have to look out our window and see that devastation were talking roughly the population of Ireland on the brink of starvation here get a grip and donate.
We had our own famines and we still love to cry about it. We are different to other peoples, sure everybody loves the Irish Olé Olé Olé. Let other starving people bugger off. Do they not realise the price of a pint in Ireland?
The NGOs who get this money will spend the bulk of it on air conditioned cars, air conditioned rooms and the same food they get at home so that they live like they’re at home. Unfortunately this is a waste of money.
Wonder where all the oil money is going
Throw it in the Liffey be better off them government will get there greedy MIT’s on it and that will be it . money never gets to them . that’s why the problem will never ever get sorted.
I am in no way opposed to Ugandan’s receiving aid and I know the situation is dire over there but why is our government so quick to send money overseas and not think about using that money for our own homeless people. I just don’t get it. In Brazil the poor and needy are getting beaten off the streets so travelling football fans don’t have to see them. Does the media care about that? But luckily they’ve got Bill Gates over there to vaccinate everyone in the middle of another US proxy war.
Media very select in its reporting
The government are signed up to give millions to Africa every year. Something in the region of 236 million I think.
I notice there’s a general trend in being pro-aid and against those who would rather keep that money here but if you look at how aid is administered by Aid organisations in third world countries then you would see that the money is never used effectively, however that 2 million could change a lot if used properly in our black spots within out capital and across Ireland. Hence charity does start at home if the resources are best utilised here
50 cent each …sound :-)
Is there any country in Africa with a stable government…Christ!!!
5 cent each…. sound :-)
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